Case Study 1: Whole-house Control (Part2)

System Components

Tubing Installation
Although the Future Lifestyle team can install the necessary tube work, for this project we subcontracted this part of the build to the Spanish electrician who was already working on the site. By doing this we ensured that there was no confusion or disagreements regarding the routes the tubing took. A detailed colour coded tubing schematic was presented to the electrician and one of our project managers was never more than a phone call away to answer any query that may have arisen.  

1st Fix
Our trained engineers installed the cabling needed for the system. Meticulous pre-planning had gone into the 1st fix installation and each tube was numbered to allow each set of cables to have a predetermined route throughout the house. This made the installation of the cable go smoothly and within the timescale set with the site manager. In addition to the cable being clearly labeled with an identity tag laid out in the cable schematic, cables were colour coded according to their use, making it easy to indentify in the future.

Cat5 Network
This involved cabling the home network with a Cat5e backbone for a secure and fast internet access, as well as files and printers sharing via 64 data points connecting the network. This was later extended wirelessly. This network can also be used to support a telephone system which allows handsets to be moved around. With the installation of a small PBX system, multiple phone lines can be used simultaneously and calls can be transferred. It also enables internal “intercom” style calling.
A Cat5 network can be used for various purposes, including HD video and music distribution.

Multi-room audio
The MRA system specified here was the Living Control system which can be controlled via in-wall control pads and touchpanels located in various areas of the property. This enabled the use of a combination keypad incorporating the Rako lighting control, ridding the wall of multiple keypads sometimes seen installed for every element of the home.
Each keypad enabled easy scrolling of the client’s music library via the on screen, showing artist names and song/album titles. These libraries were centrally located and accessible from all over the house.

TV Distribution Network
Although a coaxial network was installed for the TV distribution initially, the Future Lifestyle design makes it possible to upgrade this to high definition via the Cat5e network so all rooms with a TV can view HD imaging. 

Lighting control
The Rako lighting technology handles full control of the lighting from anywhere in the house via RF signaling. This technology means the control keypads are completely ‘wireless’ so additional units can be added anywhere.
The system can be set up to mimic a presence when the house is vacant: a week of lighting movement around the property is recorded, meaning the lights will come on in different areas at different times unlike other systems that will always turn on certain lights at a set time. Then as the client leaves to go on vacation, a press of a button by the front door starts the playback programme.
Using the Rako system here, we limited the maximum lighting to 95% of the bulbs brightness. This saves electricity and extends the lamp life of the light bulbs. Each keypad has 4 pre-set lighting modes to choose from as well as the ability to raise or dim all the lighting via preprogrammed ‘scenes’.

CCTV
We added a CCTV security and video entry system viewable via all TV screens in the home as well as online anywhere in the world.

Surround sound
Surround sound set ups were installed in two rooms - one in the lounge where the screen and the centre channel speaker were integrated into the wall to give a flush finish and the other in the main bedroom.
For the lounge the client already had some equipment which included a Pioneer 63” plasma which was to be incorporated and a Denon A11 surround sound amplifier. We then supplied the Bowers & Wilkins speakers (7.1) which produce a full bodied sound whether you are watching a movie or listening to music.
As for the main bedroom the client had a choice of viewing mediums: a flatscreen on a motorised arm bracket or a 102” drop down projector screen built into a wooden beam in the ceiling. This retracts back up into the recess and becomes completely hidden away when not in use.
The surround sound speakers are from the Anthony Gallo A´Divá Ti range and were installed in the wooden detail of the ceiling. The spherical shape of these speakers makes it possible to direct the sound to the main listening position.
An Epson projector was also installed into the beam above the bed with an aperture cut for the lens function. This projector delivers HD images to the screen via the Denon AVR which up-scales any non HD video images as well as providing the HDMI switching and surround sound processing.  

Control
In the key living areas the wireless Philips Pronto TSU9800 touchpanels were installed for multi function control of music libraries, satellite TV channels, amplifiers, DVD players, automated mounts and projector screens plus lights, video door entry and CCTV functions.
The large touchscreen and the easy to follow icons make these devices easy to use even for a guest. Each one was also set up to control the multi-room audio and lighting throughout the entire house.
As the Philips Pronto range works on Wifi communication the product can be programmed to talk to equipment located behind cupboard doors or even several rooms away. This makes it ideal for centrally located systems, although it of course requires a stable Wifi signal. We simply added wireless access points in the required areas.

Sub Head-End connector plates
Since not every room in the house was to be included in the main system, the client may wish to connect local sources in some rooms like DVD players or games consoles. In-ceiling speakers installed in a room could then be powered by a local amplifier rather than brought on to the main system. In addition, the sub head end plates enable a clean termination of cables in the key areas avoiding cables to be left hanging that may not be used as part of the system in the 1st phase installation. These plates were designed in stainless steel so as to best match the rest of the house’s décor and as they are custom made provided the connectivity needed for the purposes of each room.

Always on hand
Since the system was commissioned, Future Lifestyle have had continual contact with the client, adding products to his system as the requirements grew and installing a TV system at his place of business. We have also been on hand to deal with any glitches and end user modifications the client has requested since the installation was originally handed over.